


Angel

by Kittykatattack7



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angels, Demons, F/M, Marvel Universe, Original Character(s), Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), Post-Iron Man 3, Pre-Civil War (Marvel), Romance, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 19:59:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11698872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittykatattack7/pseuds/Kittykatattack7
Summary: "They say you should pay attention to the things you are naturally drawn to. They're often connected to your purpose in life." *Full summary inside* (Tony Stark x OC)





	1. Summary

Angels exist. Demons exist. Heaven and Hell are a very real thing and Lexi Monroe is proof of this. Being from an Angel father and a human mother makes her a Halfling. All Angels have a purpose or an order from the High Council. Some Angels strictly carry out missions, others are Guardians. Then, there are the Archangels that sit on the High Council.

However, being a Halfling was a rare occurrence and quite taboo. Halflings had no place in the Angel world and were cast aside, shunned from having a purpose, carrying out missions or ever becoming a Guardian. Lexi knew this and was fully aware of her half life, but it didn't stop her from wanting more..wanting that purpose she so desperately sought out, even if it was futile. When the attack on New York happened, Lexi's world was intertwined with that of Tony Stark's, but only for a brief moment. Of course he didn't remember, he had passed out when he was on the verge of entering the wormhole. But, she had been there...even if Tony didn't remember.

A year later, strange and demonic things start happening and her dreams start to grow darker and more pressing. Lexi feels compelled to investigate. Fate brings Lexi and the Avengers together and soon everyone realizes the stakes are too high and they will need all the help they can get. In a race to save the world, the demonic forces grow stronger and Hell is on the brink of unleashing its claws on Earth. But, as the evil grows stronger so does her friendship with The Avengers.

With the Avengers by her side, Lexi finds a purpose she never imagined for herself. And maybe even if a place she could finally belong.


	2. About

About

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, NOR the Marvel Comics. I do own Lexi (her backstory) and any other characters I come up with along the way.

\+ This a Marvel-Cinematic Universe fanfic. With that being said, some things might change along the way and others might not.

\+ This is set a year after The Avengers and six months after Iron Man 3. As of now, Vision, Pietro and Wanda are not in my fanfic (They WILL be in a sequel)

\+ This will be third person POV of my OC Lexi. And sometimes I'll switch to Tony..

\+ This is a story I have concocted in my head on a whim and hope to have a few sequels branch out from this one!

\+ I know some people get crazy about the ships (I myself can at times) but with that being said..Tony and Pepper are NOT together in my story.

\+ This is going to eventually be a Tony x OC story with lots of Steve x OC friendship fluff.

\+ And lastly, just roll with it and enjoy!


	3. Prologue

It had been a year since the wormhole almost sucked him in and still he woke up in a cold sweat. He breathed in and out as best he could, drops of sweat beading around his forehead and dropping silent as the night. He looked to the empty spot next to him fleetingly before glancing in another direction. That empty spot was the place Pepper would have been. Time moved on and so had both Tony and Pepper.

The old Tony would have filled that spot with a concubine..but this Tony was different. More level headed and a little more responsible. As a reflex, he touched the spot between his chest where the arc reactor used to be.  
Six months ago he underwent surgery to remove the shrapnel so that the reactor was no longer needed. It was that moment Tony had accepted being Iron Man without the incentive of death.

Yet..he still couldn't get a hold on his near death experience and his anxiety was proof of that. Tony grabbed a glass of water from his nightstand and downed it in seconds. His feet hit the cold floor and he maneuvered the covers off his lap to get a breath of fresh air. He grabbed a pair of back cotton pants, tugging them on and grabbing a thin charcoal gray log sleeved shirt from the end of the bed where he had left it.

He shuffled out of his room and into the quiet halls of the Avengers Tower. Rooms had been built for all of them, but not everyone resided there at all times. He made his way to the elevator and sleepily pressed the button to go up. Once he was in he pressed the button for the rooftop and took it up silently. When he got to the roof he entered a long glass filled hallway that led to a small door to rooftop access.

He came here on nights he couldn't sleep and found solace in the fresh night air. He ran a hand through his dark tussled locks and pushed the door open as the breeze hit him, instantly waking him up. He stepped out onto the walkway and leaned against the railing, the night sky quiet and the stars barely visible in the cloudy weather. He felt his heart rate steadying and the hot feeling he had that flushed his skin was cooling down.

And then..it was just quiet. The sky and Tony. He didn't think of much when he was up here and besides sleeping, this was one of the few times he did shut his mind off. He felt his body relax and the tension in his muscles uncoiled, but a blip of gold light caught his attention to his right. He blinked, but the gold blip was still there, unwaivering. Tony felt a small bubble of fear course through him..until the blip got closer and he realized it was..a woman?

A woman with two giant white wings beating slowly against the slight breeze. Tony had seen strange..and then some..but this was beyond strange. It was..ethereal.

His fear had him scanning her not once, but twice, for any weapons. Sure enough, she had two medium sized blades attached to part of her armour and they hung loosely at her sides. However, she never reached for them and her hands hung lazily at her sides. Tony knew better than to relax though..he was still on red alert.

She had her blonde hair pulled back into a pony-tail and her body was covered in a gold colored amor. She had gauntlets on her wrists, her feet and shins covered in armor and a gold plated chest piece shone brightly in the darkness of the sky.

Tony took note that none of the armor looked remotely familiar..it wasn't modern day equipment. Okay, Tony..you're really losing it, buddy. He blinked a couple of times, but she was still there. There was a feeling of recognition..as if he had seen this woman before. But, that was impossible because he'd never seen a woman with big white wings and armor before. The woman drew ever closer, but just slightly. As a reflex, Tony threw his right arm out and held his hand out to her in an offensive stance.

His hand repulsor glowed in the night like a bright warning; like Tony would ever go anywhere without it. Upon closer inspection the woman looked scared, perplexed and fascinated. Was that even possible? Yes, it was. Because Tony was feeling the same and her presence completely tongue tied him. His hand shook with anticipation as the hand repulsor was still trained at her, but it faltered as she widened her eyes and used her billowy white wings to shield herself in caution.

Her wings wrapped around her form and a few seconds later she peeked through, revealing a small sliver of an opening between the folded wings. Tony finally found his voice, "Uhm, are you looking for someone?" Tony, the ever charismatic speaker was completely jaded by the woman. "Perhaps a big man, long blonde hair..carries around a hammer?" Tony rambled and as her wings pulled away to reveal herself he saw the hint of a smile grace her face.

She shook her head no and Tony slowly lowered the hand repulsor. "Oohkay, are you a mute? Because I don't know how this is going to work-" And then the woman laughed. Or giggled. Something in between and for a moment Tony became slightly annoyed. Was she laughing at him?

She started to slowly float up, her wings flapping effortlessly behind her like a slow clap. Tony opened his mouth to speak again, but as soon as he did..she vanished. She left a trail of gold glittery dust in her wake that slowly dissolved into the dark sky, making it so it was as if she was never there.

Tony stood there for some time dumbfounded, not truly believing anything he had just witnessed. He was unnerved and very unsettled so he made his way back inside and down to the control room. He uploaded the video cameras that faced the outside and saw that the Avengers Tower was by its lonesome and there wasn't a winged woman in sight. And of course she hadn't been in the line of sight for the cameras.

He had already rewound the footage and it turned up empty. It was as if she had known exactly where to appear to be undetected. Later, when Tony finally managed to fall asleep, which wasn't until the early hours of the morning, he dreamed of the wormhole. However, this time suppressed memories forged their way into his dreams. Before he was on the verge of passing out and being sucked into the wormhole forever, he saw a familiar golden glow.

He heard the distant flapping of what sounded like wings, felt a small tug on the foot of the suit and then he heard soft angelic voice that murmured, "It's okay..you're going to be okay." And then his dream state halted and he woke up in a flustered state, eyes wide as Bruce walked in the room. "Uh, long night?" Bruce started with a hesitance in his voice. He pushed his glasses up his nose and for some reason it irked Tony and he wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

But, was it really morning already?

Tony grumbled an incoherent response and quickly pulled himself together as he walked past Bruce without so much as a word.

I'm over tired.

I'm losing it.

And plus, Angels don't exist.

If he kept repeating it..he knew eventually he would fool himself into believing it.


	4. Cold Springs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy! ^^

"Lexi-Lexi...?" The voice in front of her was so close, yet so far away. However, the persistence of the female's voice made Lexi stir and she immediately snapped back to reality. "Earth to Lexi?" The voice held more concern than annoyance and Lexi finally willed herself to look into the woman's eyes and force a stiff smile on her face.

"Are you okay?" The woman speaking had thin-rimmed glasses, cocoa colored skin and a cropped haircut that she kept close to her head. Her eyes were a mocha color with hints of amber.

She was dressed in dark teal scrubs, but her office and fancy certificate on the wall said more about her status than her clothes did. Lexi stared at this woman, Mrs. Parker, who had been monitoring her mother for close to three years.

Three years ago, her mother suddenly developed early onset Alzheimer's. And it only took a year for her to completely forget who Lexi was altogether. Lexi drew in a shaky breath before clearing her throat and nodding, "Yes, Mrs. Parker. I guess I'm just tired, is all." She pushed her long blonde locks away from her face while she spoke.

The dreams and night terrors are keeping you awake at night. And you've been thinking of that Stark guy.

Lexi willed her mind to shush and not bring up her sleeping patterns as of lately. If she was honest with herself, she knew they were more than scary dreams, but without anything concrete to go on..they were just going to stay nightmares.

Mrs. Parker smiled widely at Lexi and reached her hand across the table to Lexi. She took Lexi's hand without asking and nodded solemnly, "I know this has been difficult for you the past few years, but I want to assure you she is still in the best hands."

She squeezed reassuringly and Lexi nodded, knowing that the staff and facility were doing the best they could for her. She wondered absently if Mrs. Parker was still clueless as to Lexi being different.

Could she feel the vibration and hum of her skin? Lexi didn't think so. Mrs. Parker didn't flinch nor get tongue tied upon their first meeting. Some humans had that extra sense and they could tell she was different from merely touching her hand. Lucky for her, most human's were clueless. However, her mother had been one of those rare humans. It was what drew her father to her mother all those years ago.

"I will say she does enjoy seeing you, despite not knowing who you are. I know how hard it is for you to continue coming here." She was brought back to the present again and smiled dutifully. Lexi knew this woman sitting before her was offering kind words, but right now Lexi's mind was like a flame..flickering in and out, in and out. With so much on her mind, it was starting to weigh on her.

Lexi just nodded through the nurse's words, feeling worse than she had before coming to see her mother. Was she supposed to be calling her that? Or was it now just Elizabeth?

In the beginning, her mother briefly forgot dates, then names and then her doctor's appointments. And then she didn't remember where she was when she went to the grocery store one day and off to the doctor they went. It was too late though, no one could stop the disease now.

It progressed quicker than Lexi had anticipated and once the first year rolled by, her mother didn't even recognize her anymore. Lexi would remind her every visit who she was, but it seemed to disorient her mom and she still never remembered who Lexi was. Then, after a little while, Lexi decided to just come as a person who enjoyed visiting Elizabeth. She was no longer mom when she came to see her..just Elizabeth.

Lexi found her voice after a moments pause to choke down the frog that had been lodged in her throat, "Do you think it's still possible to get a record player in her room? I really do think it would help." Her mother had been an avid record player diva. She could not stand the new age technology with Iphone's and Ipod's. She was a vintage queen through and through and she loved her records.

Mrs. Parker frowned and Lexi already knew the answer that was going to escape her lips. "Lexi, I've tried to pull strings, but anything that might be deemed dangerous isn't allowed in their room. They seem to have a problem with the fact that it has a stylus on it. You know, the needle point...among other things."

They, as in the people who owned the facility. Mrs. Parker was the head nurse at the facility and even her clout only went so high.

Lexi merely nodded and knew it had been a fool hearty question. She'd been down that road many times and Mrs. Parker's answer was always the same. "You know, Lexi..they are beginning a lot of new trials on drugs for this disease. Anything is possible. Just have a little faith. At thirty years old, you've dealt with quite a bit, Ms. Munroe, but things end up having a way of working out." Mrs. Parker smiled and folder her mom's file closed in a polite gesture that meant the meeting was now over.

Have a little faith.

It was an ironic statement. Lexi hadn't so much lost faith because how could she? She was, after all, half Angel. And all Angel's had a devout faith in the big man sitting on the iron throne upstairs. However, Lexi was also half human and that made her doubt and it also made her question things. Such as, why aliens, superheroes and Angels existed, yet modern medicine wasn't able to help fix her mom yet.

Lexi straightened her long clutch purse on her shoulder and pulled it around to her front like always before reaching her hand out to shake Mrs. Parker's hand. Lexi fixed the sleeves on her white quarter length jacket, anything to give her hands something to do..a nervous habit of hers. She walked out of the office that started to feel a bit too stifling.

The long hall down to the front gave her a few moments to see her mom again as she sat in a chair and watched Wheel of Fortune with another woman. She smiled sadly before continuing down the hall and out the building in a rush. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she released her the air from her lungs into the crisp fall air.

Temperatures didn't bother her too much, but to keep appearances she would wear sweaters and coats to blend in during the cooler months. Her father had taught her that. Lexi walked to her red 1969 VW and once inside she started the ignition and took off. Lexi had a destination in mind...Cold Springs, New York.

This place had been a special spot for Lexi. Her father had taken her there many times and for some reason or another, it had become their spot. His missions became less and less frequent the older she got. She didn't know if it was because he was being phased out of going on missions or because he fathered a Halfling.

Lexi drove on, gripping the steering wheel much tighter than she had anticipated and noticed her knuckles had turned white. She breathed in and out slowly, calming her nerves and feeling the tension drop off her shoulders slowly, but surely. An hour and a half later she was out of the city and at Cold Springs. She parked underneath a large tree beside the lake.

Lexi shut off the engine and played with the hem of her pink blouse absently before getting out. Her white flats crunched the grass beneath her feet until she made it around to the hood of her VW. If her father were here..he would know all the right things to say. He would know how to make her feel better. Peter had been an Angel, but fate led him to her human mother.

Sure, Halflings were taboo and she never would have a typical life, but the love her parents had for one another and for her was worth it all. He had died on a mission from the High Council shortly before her mother's disease took over. Sometimes, Lexi wondered if her mother had been so distraught that she inadvertently accelerated her disease to happen sooner than later.

It was just a theory.

Lexi leaned back, scooting her butt up on the hood until she could lay down and stare at the sky above. Her mother didn't remember her. Her father was gone. And she was having night terrors about some really scary stuff she couldn't comprehend.

Lexi didn't want to get overly emotional out in public so she closed her eyes in an attempt to forget about the things she could not control. Sometimes her wings would burst out involuntarily when her emotions were heightened and it had become a staple to her training when her father was still around; controlling her emotions so she could control her powers.

Her father taught her all he could, practicing in his secret location. Being a Halfling meant not having all the control and power that a full blooded Angel had and she was reminded of that in every training session with her father. She was cautioned to not reveal herself..to keep her powers a secret as much as possible.

And she did. For the most part.

Until you saved that man in the suit from being sucked into that giant wormhole.

About a year ago New York City fell under attack. A group of extraordinary people called The Avengers were luckily there to save the day. had been out in the city when devastation struck last year. She remembered the entire thing like it was yesterday. Hoe could she forget? She had almost died.

She had just left the public library after picking up some books on her mother's disease. And then BOOM. Terror. Chaos. Falling debris. The streets were starting to look less and less empty as people frantically ran away from the madness.

Only a nut job like herself would watch from behind a building as the man they called Tony Stark, flew up with something in his hands towards the wormhole. So much went on in that moment that no one even saw her take flight. She knew it was ludicrous to do anything without her armor and her weapons, but something in her refused to argue that logic.

All she knew in that moment was that she had to help, had to try and do something. Her wings propelled her along in the sky, pushing faster and faster towards the one thing that she felt compelled to go after. Tony Stark.

The closer she got to the wormhole, the more it drained her energy. And fast. Lexi didn't exactly know what she was up against, but it was terrifying enough to know that if she didn't grab him now, he'd have been sucked up into the massive hole and once it closed there was no coming back.

Lexi had grabbed the foot of his suit and pulled just as the hole was about to close up. The man in the suit didn't move, but she still felt compelled to sooth him as she assured him he would be okay.

I hope he's still alive.

She had made a motion to maneuver him around so that she could fly him back down while carrying him. All of a sudden, spots popped into her vision, she swayed uncontrollably and lost her hold on his foot. The dark matter from the wormhole, ascending so high and so fast..coupled by a huge lack of food that day all factored into why she started to black out.

Afterall, she was still part human.

He immediately descended into a free fall and her last thought before she blacked out was that she had failed this man she didn't even know. When she woke up, she had somehow ended up in a pile of debris from the destruction. Lexi realized she was alive when she pinched herself. Her first emotion was relief, followed by fear and astonishmen at the fact that she had been able to survive a fall if that magnitude.

Her father never included that kind of stuff in their training sessions. Angels had tough skin and they could be knocked around and take blows that no mortal ever could, but this was all done without her armor. Bruises covered her arms and torso, but no broken bones.

As idiotic as it had been to do what she did, Lexi had learned more about her powers that day. She was hidden by a large piece of sheetrock and she quickly pushed it off and made haste to get out of there as quick as possible.

Lexi remembered the failure she felt upon coming home and the guilt at blacking out and losing her grip on the man. She remembered pacing in her loft the next morning, the pit in her stomach growing bigger at her failure. She should have never got involved..never tried to intervene.

Her eyes cast down to her hands and realized she was wringing them together so much her hands were becoming red and raw. And then, a busty red headed news reporter on her TV caught her attention.

"We're just getting news that the Avengers are all alive and well. Everyone is accounted for. Tom, I'd like to point out that the destruction left in their wake totaled to be-"

Lexi tuned her out after that. Her heart swelled with sweet relief and she felt a smile creep upon her face at finding out Tony Stark had indeed survived the fall.

She had feared at one point the High Council would come for her, but they never did. To be fair, her father always said the High Council didn't care what Halflings did as long as they didn't abuse their power. Now, a year later, Lexi still thought about that day. And she still thought about the man she had saved.

Is that why you go check in on him from time to time?

She made a face at her inner self talking inside of her head. Lexi was guilty of checking on Tony in the past few months..flying around the famous Avengers Tower undetected and getting a glimpse of him. She was curious about him and if she was honest with herself, she was slightly curious about all the Avengers and their abilities. By now, the whole world knew about them.

However, she had never made contact with any of them, including Tony...until last week.

She knew it was a bad idea, but she had seen him on the rooftop and it was quiet. He was alone and he looked..slightly troubled. She could see it in the way his forehead creased between his brows. Lexi had been drawn to him in a way she couldn't explain.

He had been afraid of her at first, but that was to be expected. He seemed so confused at her presence, but when he started to ramble it had brought a laugh from her. She hadn't said a word to him because she knew if she started to talk, she might not be able to stop. So, she vanished just as quickly as she appeared.

Lexi lay on her car for awhile until it looked like the afternoon was passing and it was starting to become early evening. She had thought a lot about her purpose and how it had been known that Halflings really had no place amongst the full blooded Angels.

They were in a sense, outcasts. They would never get orders from Him, never become someone's Guardian like her father was to her mother and would never get a mission from the High Council. When she finally felt like she had brooded enough, she decided to head back home to her loft in Brooklyn after grabbing a quick bite and a coffee at the bakery.

Her mom resided in the assisted care home in New York City, but laying low in Brooklyn had been the best bet for Lexi. The people in her building weren't nosey and she was able to come and go as she pleased so long as she paid her monthly rent on time. Sketchy area? Sure, but it kept her off the radar and no one bothered her. It's how she was trained to live for so long.

Plus, she was only a twenty-five minute drive from her mother. It was an all around win. Once back, she spread her wings out since she was in the privacy of her own home. Her shades were drawn, the sky was dimming and it was a perfect time to be herself. She always loved doing this at night. Having them up all day made them restless, it was the equivalent to feeling like a caged animal.

Her loft was littered in books. Or decorated, depending on how you looked at it. Lexi picked up a book and tossed it on her bed for a little nighttime reading. Reading became a hobby Lexi relied on when her parents had decided to home school her. Her activity and interaction with other kids had been limited.

After getting cleaned up, she stopped before her full length mirror in the bedroom. Her long blonde hair was still damp and her green eyes held a hint of a shadow under them. Though tired, she still hummed and glowed with an energy that no other person had. It was what set her apart from the rest.

At 5'5, she stood at an average height for a Halfling. She was decorated in lean muscle, a standard B-cup and a normal set of thighs with a nice round bottom. Lexi didn't have much of a life, so she spent a lot of it keeping herself in shape and training.

She hopped into bed with a pint of Halo Top ice cream and cozied up in bed before bumping a lump under the covers that made a small grumph noise. "Where have you been, Apollo?" The dark grey russian blue peered up at Lexi, rubbing his head against her hand before stretching and hopping out of the bed and onto the wood floor. He yawned and then proceeded to clean himself. She smiled sleepily and snuggled up with her book.

Lexi didn't know when she fell asleep between the hours of 11pm and 2am, but she woke the next morning in a cold sweat, trembling from head to toe with a book in her lap. Her dreams had taken a strange turn last night and the faces of strangers in brown robes entered her thoughts.

This time she also saw a large building and rolling green grass beyond a country property. There was a sign next to the building that had a bunch of smeared words that faded from the sun..but she could make out mechanic as one of the words.

She remembered feeling so incredibly weak as she watched this group of people in robes chant something over and over again inside this unknown facility. Everything about the dream felt wrong. It felt..dark. Almost demonic. She had been having strange dreams lately, but this was the first time she had dreamed of something she could make out clearly.

Before Lexi could stop herself she was dressed, feeding Apollo and then heading to her father's warehouse to get her armor and weapons. With a newfound determination, she decided it was time to find this place that plagued her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to reveal the full scope of her powers, the details of her training or other things about her in the first chapter. But, they will all come at some point soon!


	5. New Assignment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Switching it up to the Avengers now.. Lexi will be in the next chapter. I had fun writing this one!

The room Tony found himself seated in was sparse. He was the first one here, which was rare, but he was antsy today and the clipped phone call from Fury had him on edge. Tony reclined in the expensive leather chair and propped his shoes on the table. He played with the hem on his Black Sabbath shirt absently and then tugged on the thin gray quarter length shirt he wore underneath it. Today, he wasn't clad in his usual suit attire since he had been working on the Mark 43 suit.

That is, until he was rudely interrupted by Fury about a new assignment. Tony looked up as the door opened and Natasha Romanoff walked in her, her bright auburn red hair a dead giveaway. Clint Barton followed her casually and took their seats the table.

They were both wearing attire that insinuated they had been out in the field just moments before this. "Romanoff, Barton." Tony said with a small nod of his head. "Looks like you two were busy." Tony remarked on their attire and Clint answered, "We just got back from a mission in Prague."

Natasha looked to Clint, a small moment shared between them that anyone might miss..but not Tony. He knew Clint and Natasha had something, but it was kept quiet; neither making a mention of it in public.

Natasha Romanoff was a woman that never let her emotions weigh her choices in regards to a mission. She got in, did a job and got out. She was one of Fury's star pupils of SHIELD. Despite his annoyance at her near perfect act, Tony respected the hell out of the woman and he wouldn't hesitate to have her on his side if the world was going to shit again.

"No rest for the wicked." Natasha smirked before looking back to Tony and raising a perfectly groomed brow, "What're we doing here?" They both looked at him expectantly, as if he knew all the answers. "Oh, don't look at me. I know nothing. I'm just as in the dark as you." Natasha gave him a look and rolled her eyes, "I find that hard to believe, Tony." Clint smirked and Tony gave the peace sign, "Scouts honor. Truly, I know nothing."

The door opened again and Bruce Banner walked in. He was clad in his button down shirt, his hair tussled and his blue jeans slightly worn. He looked like he had been sleeping, but Tony knew better. That was the look of Bruce having been in his lab all night long.

He was pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, a nervous habit of his, and Tony wanted so bad to just glue the glasses in place to his darn face so they didn't keep falling down like they did. He politely smiled and Bruce hesitantly took his place at the table, a look of uncertainty on his face.

Just as Bruce was about to comment on the air of awkwardness, Nick Fury strolled into the room carrying a manila folder that Tony already knew held some kind information that would be the reason they were here.

"I'm going to keep this simple and brief, but you all have a new assignment." The room got thick with anxiety, excitement and curiosity. Tony leaned forward, retracting his legs from the table and scooted his chair in as Fury took his seat at the head of the table, laying the folder out before him. "Wait-where's Thor? And Steve?" Natasha questioned, looking around before her eyes landed back on Fury.

Tony rolled his eyes and stated quickly, "Thor is probably at a L'Oréal photoshoot and goody two-shoes is probably.." Before he could finish his sentence, in waltzed Steve in a simple dark grey shirt that was overly tight on his biceps. His blondish hair groomed and slightly tussled, which made all the fan girls swoon. He wiped his hands on his jeans and quickly took his seat at the table across from Tony and beside Fury, "Sorry I'm late."

Tony quirked, "Speak of the hero." Steve made a face and Clint hid his smirk while Natasha rolled her eyes. Out of all of them, Bruce stayed silent, keeping his comments and thoughts to himself. Nick cleared his throat and made a grand sweeping gesture to everyone in the room, "Thor had some business to attend to that is none of your concern. Now that we're all here.." He began and got up from his seat to pace around the room with his hands behind his back.

Everyone in the room kept eyeing the folder he had placed on the table. Tony fidgeted in his seat and decided on crossing his arms and leaning against the back of the chair, "So, Fury. What is it this time? Arms dealers? More aliens? Or maybe ghosts?" Fury shot Tony a look, "Not wearing your suit and tie today, Tony?" Fury asked blandly and eyeing him with the only eye he had. Tony shrugged, "I was rudely interrupted while I was working on the Mark 43." Fury narrowed his eye at Tony, "Sorry, but not sorry."

"Now, I called you all here because we have a situation and I fear it's going to end up being a situation that only the Avengers can handle." Fury swept around the table with ease and continued while everyone watched with rapt attention, "There have been some..disturbances around the country." Natasha leaned forward, elbows now on the table with peaked interest, "What kind of disturbances?" Fury cleared his throat and continued, "The really freaky kind."

"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that." Clint deadpanned. Fury sighed heavily and swept across to the file on the table, pulling out photos and spreading them across the table so that they faced the group. Each photo held a group of people in brown robes with ghostly eyes.

Some photos were taken in a cathedral, others were taken in what looked to be crypts and dungeons. However, the pictures continued to prove more weird as symbols were carved on the walls and chalices were filled with blood.

Steve took some of the photos and started to flip through them before handing them to an expectant Natasha. Natasha handed them to Clint who passed them around clockwise.

"We've been tracking a group of people, call themselves The Occult." Tony rolled his eyes, "How original." Fury glossed over his comment and continued, "Now, this group has been popping up on SHIELD's radar for the past couple of months."

Bruce leaned forward after passing the photos to Tony and asked, "How has this group caught SHIELD's eye?" Fury eyed Bruce, "Besides the obvious of being really creepy?" Bruce nodded and Fury continued, "The first time The Occult was spotted was in a cathedral in New Jersey."

"They were using the basement illegally and a hand of the church found them down there. They quickly disappeared, but left behind a bunch of their things. Cups of blood, books on spells and..human remains." Steve looked to Fury, "Were they doing some sort of sacrifice?" Fury nodded and continued, "SHIELD was alerted and we took over the case once we realized there was more going on."

Tony finally spoke, "More as in what? Voodoo? Spells? I mean, what are we talkin' about here Fury because quite frankly, I'm not a fan of magic and I really don't want to find out there is a voodoo doll of Tony Stark lying around." Fury placed his hands on the table and leaned towards Tony, "As in demonic forces. Raising the damn dead, Tony. Am I making myself clear?" Tony froze and raised an eyebrow, "Perfectly." Tony clipped and Fury moved away from Tony to lean against the glass wall.

"How do we know this group of people aren't just a bunch of nut jobs? How do we even know they are that dangerous?" Clint asked, looking at the photo again and then chunking it back on the glass top table. Fury placed a small device on the table and it projected a live video stream large enough for everyone to see. "Lucky for us, The Occult didn't search for cameras before utilizing an old crypt underneath a graveyard."

The scene focused on a group of people kneeling in brown robes and the only thing lighting the area were a dozen or more lights flickering on the side of the wall. There were two people in brow robes that stood and stone table before them and on the table was the body of a person. The person was shackled to the stone table and upon closer inspection it was a woman with reddish auburn hair, her eyes alight with fright and she was screaming out for help.

Steve looked away momentarily before looking back at the projection. One of the robed figures that stood brandished a dagger and chanted, while the crowd chanted lowly as well. The robed figure stood before the girl's head and slit her throat with one quick swift movement. Blood spilled upon the stone table and the robed figure started to chant, his hands palms up and his eyes closed.

"What is he saying?" Bruce whispered lowly and Fury answered, "We give you this body, our Lord." Everyone tensed, but what happened next was not expected. A dark orb of tendrils started to float from the ground they stood on, the cult members momentarily halted in their words. The tendrils grew until they took on what looked to be a head of a human. Tony tensed and his mind immediately drifted to the winged woman he had seen not long ago.

The dark entity moved towards the robed figure and they froze, the next thing that was said was completely foreign to any of them in the room. Everyone looked at one another, their hair on Tony's neck standing up as the dark being hissed in tongues that made his skin crawl.

The robed figure who had just murdered the girl was mumbling lowly in broken English, "M'Lord, We thought this was her..you said-" The robed figure was cut off as he was abruptly thrown into the stone wall behind him.

The Occult members froze and the dark being floated above everyone now, speaking in tongues quickly and then right before their very eyes vanishing in a plume of dark purple and black smoke. The video cut off. "Who was the man that died? And the girl?" Steve asked tensely.

Fury looked to Steve, "The girl was a college student. Named Sarah Whittmore. Nothing we found connects her to The Occult. The man was Richard Perry. A retired janitor from Minnesota. No priors." Clint snorted, "He was doing a little more than mopping floors, don't ya' think?"

Clint then leaned in as well, his interest slightly rising, "The other members?" Fury shook his head, "No idea. They are off the radar. It seems they have some sort of invisible veil blocking their faces that SHIELD can't crack." Fury looked to everyone around the table. "However, SHIELD has decoded the language that the demonic presence was speaking."

"I'm guessing he wasn't here to spread Christmas cheer, was he?" Tony asked dryly and Fury, yet again, glossed over Tony's comment, "This is what SHIELD translated." Fury flipped a small switch on the same device that projected the video and it started to play audio in a deep, and rather horrifying voice,"FOOLS. Find the right girl. And the others. This is not her. Next time I show up you better have all the bodies I asked for..."

Fury cut the device off and everyone in the room looked to one another questioningly before Steve spoke up on behalf of everyone, "I'm guessing you want us to stop the Occult before they get whatever that thing needs?"

Fury nodded and placed his hands on the table again, squeezing tightly, "I have no idea what this assignment will bring, but I can tell you the police won't be able to handle this one. It's beyond them now." Tony cut Fury off, "It's beyond us, Fury."

Everyone looked Tony and he shrugged, "Fury, if I may, this isn't something we have been up against before. Arms dealers, gang bangers, a few aliens.." He rambled off, ticking them on his fingers one by one. "But, this..Fury, this is.."

Steve spoke up, interrupting Tony, "This is something the Avengers can handle." Tony rolled his eyes, looking away like a petulant child that didn't get his way. It wasn't that Tony didn't want to go help and stop these people, but they were kind of walking into a blind assignment.

"You scared of the boogeyman, Tony?" Clint quipped and Tony made a face while Bruce smirked at the banter. Fury stood up looking at them all, "As soon as SHIELD can zero in on the Occult, you will deploy. This is your new assignment, got it?" He eyed everyone sternly and the nods around the table were reluctant, but The Avengers knew they had a duty to uphold.

"Fury, can I take a look at some of the video feed?" Bruce asked, pushing his glassed up his nose and Fury nodded, "I'll get you all everything we have on The Occult. Study up and be ready." With that Fury swept out of the room leaving the Avengers to digest their new mission.

Steve picked up the photo, staring at it for a moment before eyeing everyone, "Anyone know about demonic forces?"

"Let me just go get my spell book.." Tony quipped and Steve rolled his eyes. Natasha was silent and Clint and Bruce both picked up on it. She was staring at the robed figures intently and finally she spoke up.

"I worked a mission in Romania last year. Fury sent me to combat a group of drug smugglers. While I was there the villages talked of black magic that had recently run rampant in their village. They said it was rumored a group of people were trying to bring demonic forces to Earth, but that they were short lived in the village. The village leaders ran them out and almost killed some of them." Clint furrowed his brows, "You never mentioned that."

She looked at Clint and smiled lightly, "It never really mattered until now. I don't know if it's the same people, but I just get the feeling it's all related." Steve was quiet in thought before speaking up, "It's something. Natasha, do you think you could find some contacts in Romania and question them?" Natasha nodded and she was up quickly with Clint following her lead already out of the room. Bruce got up and followed out before mumbling, "I'm going to analyze the footage."

That left Steve and Tony in the room together. "You're awfully quiet about all of this." Steve spoke and Tony arched a brow before uncrossing his arms and standing from his chair. He refused to tell anyone what he had seen that night. They would think he was crazy, not just eccentric Tony Stark, but full blown crazy. Despite what he had seen on the video, Tony liked to see things for himself and he didn't really know what to believe when it came to this assignment.

"I'm just going over all the Hail Mary's and Our father's in my head. Oh,-" He stopped briefly at the doorway and turned back towards Steve and his perfect hair, "Better grab a rosemary Cap, sounds like we might need one." With that smart-aleck quip, Tony strolled from the room, hands stuffed in his blue jean pockets and headed towards the Mark 43.

Steve sat in the room long after Tony had left looking at the pictures that Fury had left on the table. The assignment swirled in his brain, his memory taking hold of the dark presence that made itself known on the video. He had never seen anything so dark before..so impure.

He also knew something was bothering Tony, but being a Stark he was incredibly too proud to admit anything that might make him look vulnerable. The assignment had made Tony more reserved; a little more silent than he usual was. And he couldn't help but wonder if the assignment had anything to do with it. And if it did..what did Tony know and what was he not telling them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! I wanted to keep the Clint x Natasha ship alive for my story because I thought they paired nicely together. :D


	6. Help From A Friend

Lexi was already on the road heading to her father's storage when blips of her dream passed through her head and she had to grip the wheel to keep control of her VW. For the late morning, there was little to no traffic and she looked up absent mindedly to the clouds above and said a silent prayer. Her brain could only focus on the task at hand and that was finding whatever place was in her dreams, but first she had to get her armor.

It wasn't something she kept on her at all times because she never used it, unless she was training.

Or spying on a certain Stark…

There was no use for it to be hanging around her loft when she wasn't whisking away to battle the city like a super hero.

However, today she decided to bring her armor home for once. She wanted it near her. And something was telling her that the moment she found out where her dreams were taking her, she would be in flight.

Her muscles coiled and tensed around her shoulders before pulling up to the storage unit right outside of the busy city. The storage facility was fenced in by a black wrought iron gate and she had to type in her passcode in order for the gates to open up. 2337. Beer. It had been her father's passcode for a few things and it always made her a chuckle. For an Angel, he had a penchant for beer.

She could picture herself now, a young Lexi looking at her father as he sipped his beer while her mother cooked up dinner. She was still young, but not young enough to observe things such as her father drinking alcohol for the first time. Her father had seen her watching him with a concerned look on her face.

"I dabble in the Devil's water occasionally."

A young Lexi stared wide eyed to her father, "But, isn't it a sin?"

Her father turned to her so that she saw the stubble around his jawline.

"Tis' only a sin if you drown in it."

Lexi stared at the bottle before looking back at up her father, "Like, if I eat a lot of Oreo's..my tummy hurts." Her father chuckled looking down at her with those tender eyes he only held for her and her mother.

"Kind of like that, Lexi."

The memory vanished right before her eyes and she felt her heart clench. He was an Angel, but it didn't mean he didn't take up human practices. And as he came more prominent in her life, her father took on more humanly traits, but most of it was to blend in with society so he could protect her mom and her. However, she had a feeling he enjoyed some of the indulgences that human life had brought him; such as beer.

The storage facility was dingy, but no one had ever bothered her or her father here and the armor had been kept safe for many years. She parked quickly in front of the unit and hurried out, walking to the lock with purpose. Her blonde hair billowed behind her in a heap; she had paid no mind pulling it back this morning.

She was clad in her Victoria's Secret black and pink track suit set and an old worn out pair of black Nike's that had seen better days. Case in point, the laces were so bridle they came untied rather easily as of late. These were her favorite shoes, so she felt hard pressed to buy a new pair. That and she could be a very big cheapskate at times. She shoved her hair behind her ears and bent down to tie her shoe before deciding to unlock Unit 36.

The storage unit itself was littered with shelves, dust and useless items her father had procured over his lifetime on Earth. A lone chest sat in the far left corner with a faded patchwork quilt that lay on top of it. She moved the quilt and placed her hand on the antique chest. It hummed and she could feel the vibration. It was as if the armor knew when it was in the presence of an Angelic being. Lexi leaned in and placed the key in the hole on the front part of the chest. The next click of a lock was like music to her ears. She opened the chest and the bright gold light that popped out made her heart flutter with anticipation. A heavenly gold light filtered from the chest and it was a stark contrast to her ivory white skin.

All of the armor was antique, old even, and surprisingly tolerable in any kind of battle. The gold plated one piece could hold up in the most epic of battles, so her father had said. It was blessed by the High Council and more durable than any man made substance on Earth. When her father had died in battle, the High Council had left it with her mother, an anonymous gift left in her home. Angels were always very dramatic with stuff like this. However, her father's Will had stated that the armor be fashioned for a woman upon his death and the High Council could not ignore an Angel's last will and testament.

He did it because of me..on the rare chance that I would ever need it.

She shut the chest quickly and then gripped the sides of it and lifted. With little effort, she hauled it towards her VW. The chest alone was a ridiculous weight and a young woman such as herself could never carry it alone, but no one was around and she quickly acted without being seen. After dumping the chest into her passenger seat, which barely fit and made for a bit of teetering back and forth, she locked up her storage room quickly and headed out.

Once she got back to her loft, she parked in her designated spot and hauled the chest out of her car. The area wasn't incredibly busy, but she knew she'd have to carry the chest into her building and into her room as discretely as possible. Lexi lifted both sides of the chest and pulled it up towards her chest effortlessly before shutting her car door with her foot. Once she got to the elevators of her building she used her hip to press the button, waiting patiently as it opened.

A young man she had never seen from her building before stepped out, but stopped suddenly seeing her carrying the large, antique chest. He was in between the elevator doors, holding them open for her in surprise. He quirked a brow and whispered audibly, "Woah." His eyes were blood shot and he reeked of pot and alcohol. She hadn't recognized him, but she was pretty sure he had an all nighter with one of the tenants in her building. To make a situation less awkward, she smiled sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders and stepping around him as he shuffled off the elevator at a loss for words.

"Uh, muscle milk. It does a body good." She quipped and with a smirk the elevator doors were closing, leaving the kid staring slack jawed. He was inebriated and high off pot, so she figured no one would have believed him had he said something about what he had seen. Once the elevators were closed she sighed heavily and leaned against the wall while waiting for her floor. She was in the clear carrying the chest to her room and once inside she locked her loft quickly and set the chest close to her bed.

Lexi didn't have many contacts as far as friends went, but she did have one and that was her friend from the local library named Landon. He was a young African American man that she could trust and he worked as the library's assistant. He as there the day the first day she ever walked through the doors and wanted to check out some books. The two had been close ever since then. Well, as close as Lexi could let anyone get to her. He didn't know what she was, but he knew she was different. To him, she was odd and possibly not even of this Earth, but he joked about it more than he seemed to believe it. If he could help her narrow down what she had seen in her dream, then she could get there faster. Two heads were better than one and Landon was a pretty resourceful guy. She knew he could help.

His phone rang twice before he picked up, "Lexi, what's up girl?" She smiled at his jovial voice and sat on her bed looking at her silver painted nails, "I need some help." He paused before answering, "What kind of help? This sounds interesting." Lexi got off her bed and started to pace, nervous to even begin explaining without giving too much away, "You know how sometimes I just need help and you don't ask many questions?" Landon signed, but spoke quickly, "You're about to ask me something and I'm not going to be able to ask any questions, right?"

She smirked, "Bingo, Landy boy." He snickered, but then got serious very quickly, "Alright, Lexi. What is it you need?" Lexi then began to tell Landon she needed help locating a mechanic shop, possibly open, but more than likely out of business and it had to be somewhere rural, somewhere near grass and not really close to the city.

"Lexi, you do realize this is going to take some searching..this could be anywhere! You're not giving me much to go on.." He was being honest and she appreciated it. "I know, I know! I just think two heads will be better than one on this one, ya' know?" Landon sighed, but not dramatically. "It's like a needle in a haystack. You got anything else I can go on with this search? Any specifics you might happen to know?"

Lexi closed her eyes, thinking of the dream and every aspect before her eyes shot open and she turned on her heel looking towards the chest, "Yes, yes! I do! The building was blue, but the sign on the front was all red and it had white lettering. An old sign was near the front of the building by the two lane road, but it had washed out words that said mechanic on it." Landon was quiet, but she heard his pencil working in over drive as he jotted it all down. He was quiet for a beat longer before asking, "Not trying to pry, but what is it about this place that is important? Anything I can help with?"

It was typical of Landon to ask questions about stuff even if he didn't come out and ask her why she needed his help. She pursed her lips and drummed her fingertips on the chest holding her armor before answering, "You are helping me, Landon. And this place is just..something I'm interested in finding..is all." Her voice was not convincing on the last part, but Landon merely sighed in a resigned manner and she knew he was nodding his head without her being there. "Okay, I'll start now. Call me if you find anything first. And Lexi, you owe me an Americano for this."

Lexi smiled, "Make it two! And seriously Landon, thank you." Her sentiments were true and she knew Landon knew how much she appreciated it. He had the library and all kinds of archives at his disposal, so she knew he had been the right person for the job. "Lexi, I never know what it is you get yourself into, but you know I'm always here for you." Landon's sincere voice put a frog in her throat and she nodded, speaking thickly, "I know Landon and I'll forever be in your debt." After they hung up Lexi fired up her laptop and proceeded to start her own search in the meantime.

It only took an hour or so and her search was becoming exhausting. There were so many mechanic shops with that color combination and all of them were still in business. None of it helped her cause because the place she saw in her dreams was more than likely closed down for business. Her cellphone rang and she picked it up and saw Landon was calling her back.

"I got something, I think." He started without a greeting and he continued without letting her speak, "It's a place in the outer parts of Syracuse. It used to be known as 'Big Tire Mechanic' but has since close down. The subsequent storage facility behind the shop has also been foreclosed and it looks to be empty." Lexi sat up straight on her bed, her laptop sliding down and falling to the side of her legs.

Apollo jumped up and purred and she stroked his head as Landon spoke, "It's a blue building with a red sign that has washed out white lettering from the pictures I've been able to pull. It's been closed for about six months now, but still hasn't been torn down. I can text you coordinates." Lexi was now swinging her legs over the side of the bed ready to get up and head out. "Landon, I don't even know how to thank you.." She trailed off as she started to unzip her track suit.

"Uh, with those Americanos, for starters." He quipped back and she laughed at his statement, "Yeah, yeah..okay. Two Americanos on me next coffee date!" He snickered on the other end of the line and before he could ask any other questions she said her goodbyes and hung up. Lexi started to strip out of her clothes and the chest hummed louder as she drew near it. She opened it and started to apply her battle armor.

The armor was now more of a one piece that fit perfectly around her body. It was best she wore only a bra and her under garments when putting the armor on..any other clothing would just get in the way. She applied the gauntlets and her shin guards that latched on to her shins all the way down to her feet and covered them. She smiled as the cold metal graced her skin, sending goosebumps all up and down her arms. She willed her wings to start uncoiling from being sheltered morning long.

Apollo stood on his back paws and started to paw at her large feathery wings that were protruding from her back. She smiled tenderly at her favorite little friend before picking him up into a quick embrace, "Hang tight, kiddo. I'll be back later. You got plenty of food this morning." Apollo stared at her quizzically before placing him back on the bed and walking out to her fire escape that was attached to her loft. If she were to fly into the clouds undetected, she had to be quick.

Lexi pulled her phone from boots and checked the coordinates before getting an idea of where she was headed. She slid her phone back into her boots and closed the window behind her as she flapped her wings behind her in anticipation. The traffic below was noisy, but Brooklynites (as she called them) were so in their own worlds it was doubtful anyone would see her from where she was. She pursed her lips and without a second thought she pushed off the fire escape and shot straight into the sky..higher and higher until she wasn't visible to the public eye anymore.

Alright…let's go investigate.


	7. A Girl With Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for those sticking with this story! ^.~

The Avengers tower was loud at this very point in time. SHIELD agents ran up and down the hallways to their assigned areas in certain sectors. Fury's voice could be heard down the hall shouting orders. A loud noise rang out that sounded oddly like the engine of a jet that was firing up. It started out like a dull hum, but it gradually got louder and more deafening.

Yep, definitely one of the jets.

Not like Tony needed a jet. His suit WAS his ride.

Tony's suit was flying at his body that was currently covered in a dark gray special, stretchy under armor. Each piece of the Mach 43 suit fell into place and the cool touch of metal somehow soothed his itchy nerves. Fury had gotten a lead on the Occult, or whatever the hell those people were. They had been detected at an old mechanic shop and SHIELD was already placing their coordinates for the Avengers.

Tony placed the helmet in its rightful place on his head before sensing a body entering the room. It was Boy Wonder…Steve Rogers was decked out in his newly upgraded Captain America suit. His shield, that his father so graciously had made Steve, hung loosely at his side. There was hesitance on Steve's face and Tony's insides cringed at the sight.

He detected a semblance of pity and Tony didn't need that. Not right now.

The helmet opened so that Steve could see Tony's face, "Did you get your holy water, Cap'?" Steve rolled his eyes before taking a step forward, "You sure you're okay?" Tony cocked his head to the side, "What? A little PTSD and everyone freaks out." Steve shook his head, grinning slightly at Tony's resistance to talk about anything that had happened in the past.

"That's not what I was asking.."

Steve's voice trailed off, but Tony saw it in his eyes and his face, "You see kid; you need to get better at reading people. It's all in the face. It is what you're talking about." Steve made a face at his use of the word kid, but clapped back quickly, "Then I must be a good reader if I know something is wrong with you, Stark."

Tony bristled at Steve's reluctance to let this go. Steve Rogers could be an annoying tick sometimes with his self-righteous attitude. He just wouldn't let things like this go and his determination had gotten him a date with the super soldier serum all those years ago.

"Cap', you should probably be more focused on the mission at hand. We might see some ghosts, so get your phone out and make sure you take lots of pictures." With that quip, he locked his helmet into place so that his face was hidden.

Steve turned around, nodding slightly at Tony. Steve didn't plan on letting this go anytime soon though. Tony had to talk about what happened at some point because the therapists that Pepper had booked him hadn't really helped. Not to mention, Tony was just acting weird in general. Steve had noticed Tony staring at the sky more often than not and sometimes, when Tony didn't know Steve was looking, he saw the haunted shadows pass over his face. And Steve recognized a small amount of fear in Tony as well.

Steve didn't have much more time to be concerned because Natasha rounded the corner and nodded curtly, "Jets fueled and ready to go." Steve nodded in response and followed her down until they got to the tarmac where Clint was waiting with his bow hanging lazily at his side. "So, we're going ghost hunting?" Natasha smirked at his quip and Steve was about to respond before Fury walked determinedly towards them with his black leather trench coat whipping in the breeze.

"No time for greetings. I hope you understand." Natasha nodded at Fury's terse nature before checking the chamber of her gun, her ammo and then holstering it on her hip. "You said the Occult was at this location?" Fury nodded, "There are three unknown tombs that we believe are holding the bodies the entity was speaking about. We have reason to believe these tombs are being used in a ritual of some sort."

Clint raised a brow, "First off, where are Thor and Bruce? Second, how'd you find them?" Fury was already firing back quickly, "Bruce is staying behind to work on other projects and Thor is still taking care of business; Asgardian business." Fury paused and dared Clint to ask another question by staring at him with his good eye.

"The Occult started to set off some of our seismic readers. A rookie SHIELD agent suggested we should start looking at some seismic charts around New York and the surrounding states, so we did. She surmised that these would probably start going off if some kind of..paranormal stuff was happening."

Everyone could tell how uncomfortable Fury was even using the word paranormal. Steve could understand aliens, bad guys and even super serum to make super soldiers such as himself, but even Steve was having trouble comprehending this supernatural stuff.

Fury continued, "The rookie was right because a couple days later we now have some activity and I have it pinpointed." Clint, Natasha and Steve shared a look before Steve spoke up just as Tony landed beside Fury, "Tony." Fury nodded in a greeting while Tony revealed his face beneath the Iron Man mask. "We taking hostages or is this a wam-bam kick some ass kind of mission? What about the tombs with the bodies?"

Clint did a double take at Tony, "You got ESP with that suit or something?" Tony smirked, "You haven't heard? I'm the all-knowing Tony Stark." Clint smirked, but before Clint could inquire to the specifics of the Mach 43 and its vocal range for hearing conversations Fury had started talking again.

"Natasha was able to pull minimal information on The Occult. Given that the information she gave me didn't put me at ease, SHIELD has given orders to take no hostages, but do retrieve the bodies in the tombs. At all costs."

Steve nodded solemnly, realizing that this group of people that called themselves The Occult were not only deranged, but also evil. Whatever information Fury had on them it didn't sound good. They were a danger to the public and now it became Steve's top priority to protect the public from whatever the Occult had planned.

Natasha saw the briefest flicker of despair in Steve's dutiful and human eyes. Steve was a man that didn't like to kill, but Natasha and Clint had been brought up differently. And if she was speaking truthfully, she was different than all the guys. She could shut her emotions off. She could detach herself from the humanity part of herself and focus on the mission. It became second nature to unload a chamber of bullets into the men that tried to attack her, or give someone a case of whiplash so hard their neck broke. Natasha was as lethal as the weapon as on her hip.

"Got it Fury." She answered aloud before Tony interrupted, "What now? Are we supposed to clap our hands together in a huddle and shout Go Avengers?" Clint groaned and Natasha shoved past Tony as she headed into the jet. Fury crossed his arms in a, 'Don't fuck with me Tony' kind of way while Steve gave Tony a sidelong look of his own before hurrying in after Natasha and Clint.

"See you kids later." Tony mused to himself before launching his thrusters and speaking with Jarvis on the coordinates for their destination. Little did any of them know they were going to arrive too late..The Occult was already going to be one step ahead of The Avengers. Because the three bodies in the tombs were already going to be awaken to their true selves.

Lexi came to an abrupt halt in the air as she hovered above what looked to be an aircraft in the field adjacent to the mechanic shop. Her wings flapped in the stillness around her and for some reason an odd chill ran straight down her spine and spread out down her legs. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. She fidgeted slightly, her hands trembling next to the two blades that she wielded in practice battles with her father.

She flew to the front window of the storage facility and froze in horror as she saw the strange robed figures wielding daggers. There weren't just five or six, there were about a dozen or more all on the offensive and fighting. The pools of their eyes were haunting, black like tar and it dripped down their eyes and stained the skin on their cheek bones like make up. There were three large tombs at the front of the room and they were open. From Lexi's point of view she couldn't tell if anyone or anything was in there.

Something had happened here and it wasn't remotely good. Some kind of ritual had taken place because these people in robes had super strength and were wielding daggers as if they had been fighting for years.

What had given them the strength and who were they fighting?

Her last question was answered when she noticed a red haired woman and short haired man with a bow and arrow. The man was perched on a long forgotten piece of scaffolding in the large storage facility, wielding his bow and letting arrow after arrow fly at the robed figures.

Lexi narrowed her brows and realized she recognized the red haired woman from the chaos of New York!

The Avengers were here?

She watched with rapt attention as the man shouldered his bow and jumped down from the scaffolding, rolling and then standing quickly so that he was back to back with the red haired woman. They took on an offensive stance and though they seemed to be taking out a few here and there, some of the robed figures continued to get up even when they should have stayed down.

How was that even possible?

Lexi swallowed nervously and her eyes danced back and forth across the storage facility as the pair fought in synch together. It was like watching a pair of dancers, but with fists of fury. The red haired woman looked exasperated and she could see the two of them talking amongst themselves from the window before Lexi noticed a stray fragment of light filtering from the roof. It had a hole in it as if someone had entered from above before the battle began. She peered at it for a brief second before taking flight and making a decision she knew would change her life forever.

"Got any ideas?" Clint barked to Natasha and she gritted her teeth. "Why must you always ask me?" Her response made Clint chuckle, "You always come up with the better plan." She almost turned around to face him, clearly taken aback, "Now, after all this time, you admit that?" Clint felt his smile falter slightly at the sight of the robed figures getting back up from a punch that should have laid them out, but he replied snarkily, "Well, if I'm about to get killed by a bunch of robed nut jobs I figure it was time to tell you the truth." She grunted out an annoyed huff at his timing, but smiled since she knew he wasn't looking.

"We aren't dying..not today at least." Natasha snapped back at Clint before a figure shot through the hole in the roof where Tony had made his grand entrance earlier. A beam of the brightest white light shined from about three yards away and ignited throughout the entire room, hitting Natasha and Clint right in the chest and taking the breath out of them. Their bodies were thrown backwards and they were both stunned to silence.

Lexi dive bombed from above and straight into the open hole in the roof of the main section of the storage facility, using the tips of her weapons to hit the concrete so hard she emitted a large white burst of angelic light. When her boots hit the ground, it shattered beneath her and splintered the slab floor.

The light that emitted from her weapons striking the floor came from within her..a light she had known she had for a very long time, but never used to its full potential. The light went through the room like a shockwave, knocking down everything in its path. She unfurled her wings from around her body and saw the red haired woman and the man were already scrambling to their feet and taking in her form with shock and hesitance.

"Uh, who the hell is that?" The man asked, pulling the red haired woman fully to her feet, but never taking his eyes off of Lexi.

Lexi immediately noticed the robed figures weren't dead, but they were weak enough that they could be finished off. These people could not be saved and Lexi knew that. They had black, ink like eyes and their souls reeked of death and decay. Not even an exorcism would save them. She didn't know how she knew it, but she could feel it in her bones.

The red haired woman looked around hesitantly before moving her hand to hover over the handgun on her hip. The man started to reach back for his bow and Lexi stepped back quickly while sheathing her weapons, and then putting her hands up in an act of good faith and spoke up.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

Lexi found her voice and it was pleading, yet strong. The red haired woman furrowed her brow, never taking her eyes off Lexi. She had looks that were lethal and Lexi inwardly cringed at the way she eyed her as a potential target.

"Could have fooled me." The woman retorted in regards to the entrance Lexi had made that had blown them both on their ass. Her angelic light was toxic against the robed figures since their souls were shrouded in evil, but she was surprised that the man and woman got back up on shaky legs after a blast like that. The man was rubbing his chest as if stunned to silence. She wondered if they had ever felt something like that before.

"You have wings." The man finally deadpanned with shaky breaths, raising his brow and taking in the large white feature that made Lexi unique. Despite herself, Lexi smiled and nodded once, "Look, there really isn't time to explain, but these guys aren't dead…they will be out for a bit though. You'd be doing them a favor to put them out of their misery. Their souls are corrupt beyond repair."

"How do you know that?" The woman asked firmly, looking around at the robed figures.

"I just do." Lexi responded quickly and looked around sadly before uncoiling her wings and letting them out to their full length before walking to the tombs and finding them empty. Her eyes widened as she felt an undeniable sick feeling in her stomach..and a feeling of familiarity.

"What happened here?" Lexi asked in a demanding tone before turning around to the two Avengers. She was surprised when Clint started to answer without hesitation, "When we got here these crazy people were doing some kind of ritual, but it was too late though. The bodies in the tombs literally got up after being sacrificed and walked out."

Natasha looked to Clint with an arched brow as if he was crazy for talking to a strange woman.

"What? If she wanted to kill us she would have already. Am I right?"

Lexi didn't know whether to play hardball or not so instead she decided honesty would be the best policy to start, "Probably." Lexi saw the red haired woman eyeing her up and down as if sizing her up and just as she opened her mouth to speak again a loud sound, like that of banging metal, came from outside the storage facility.

"They're still out there, c'mon Natasha." Clint frowned and Lexi looked to the man with concern, "They who?" Clint looked towards the tombs, "The bodies that floated right out of the tomb. They are outside fighting our friends."

Lexi didn't even bother to hear anymore and she shot up and out of the hole in the roof before heading around to the field that lay beyond the storage facility and beyond the field what had been a wooded area, but a lot of the trees had been cleared out.

"That is so cool." Clint spoke excitedly while Natasha rolled her eyes, "Don't get too excited, buddy. We have no idea who she is..she might not be on our side." Clint gripped his bow and arched a brow, "Well then, let's go find out. After you." Natasha smirked before they both started to run across the entire storage facility towards the back door that would lead them to the field where Steve and Tony were still battling the bodies from the tomb.

"Guys, a girl with wings is heading your way." Clint spoke into his ear piece.

"A girl with wings?" Steve responded back, disbelief in his voice.

"Roger that." Clint responded and then proceeded to hall ass after Natasha.

Lexi's whole body felt numb as she saw three figures floating in the air, glowing with an eerie purple aura. Two of them were male and one was a female. She had long dark hair and her hands were out in front of her as she conjured up purple tendrils from the ground around the man the public knew as Captain America. He whipped around wildly, using his shield to slice and dice at purple tendrils that struck out at him violently.

And then her eyes found the red and gold metal and her heart felt something akin to relief, but she couldn't be sure. Lexi saw the two men hovering in the air, propelled along as if by an invisible string that held them up..except they weren't anything like puppets on a string. They were precise, callous and cold with their movements. One man was strong, bulky and had lighter colored hair. He wore jeans and a tight fitting gray shirt that made his biceps bulge. He shot out an angry flash of dark purple light from his hands, but Iron Man maneuvered out of the way of it quickly.

The broad shouldered man didn't give Iron Man enough time to recover because he had already shot out another beam of dark light from his palms and it hit him violently, exploding against the metal that protected Tony Stark, sending him straight to the ground in a heap.

Lexi felt her wings quiver, her nerves started to vibrate and the telltale sound of the hum from the armor that lined her body. Whatever had hit Iron Man was enough to knock him out on his ass for a brief few seconds. She could tell by the way he faltered on the ground that this was not something that he had ever dealt with before.

The other evil man wore a black trench coat, a black shirt and had on dark black jeans with his cropped dark hair close to his head. He had facial hair, like a goatee, and a structured face. But, his body was leaner than his counterpart. Despite being slightly smaller, this man radiated the confidence of a leader as he held up his hand and waved the bulky man away as if telling him, enough.

Neither of the men that were battling had taken note to her hovering form in the air, nor had Captain America or Iron Man. The Leader smirked as he floated down to the ground, now level with Iron Man.

"You and your friends are cute; now let me show you what real power feels like."

The man's words were cruel and unforgiving as he used his hands to bring up a deep black vortex of spiraling energy from the ground. It went round and round like a black tornado as the dark energy from his power had Lexi's nerves spiraling out of control. This wasn't just energy, it was dark.

Demonic.

Her body grew hot and then cold, then hot again as the Angelic power that coursed through her veins started to ignite on instinct at the threat. The man shoved his hands forward, palms out, which controlled the spiraling black vortex of energy and made it shoot straight out towards Iron Man in a menacing and deadly way.

"TONY!" Captain America's voice was a shrill and desperate cry in Lexi's ears from across the field.

Lexi was already in route before he had thrust his hands out, her wings working harder than she had ever propelled them along. Lexi tucked her body and prepared to dive bomb down towards Iron Man and when her boots hit the ground, her back was already facing the men as her wings shielded the dark vortex from hitting Iron Man.

Instead, the dark black vortex hit her wings, sending her and Iron Man flying until she crashed landed with her body hitting the field at odd angles, thrashing limbs and all.

Her body ached and her wings faltered, almost feeling as if they had taken a beating. Well, they kind of did in a way. She moaned terribly as her face scratched against the field that was littered with grass burs and twigs. Lexi's focus came back into view and she spit, seeing a tinge of red. She licked her lip and felt it was slightly split on the bottom.

She lifted herself up on shaky arms, realizing if she had been a mere mortal she'd have been dead.

Another small trail of blood seeped from the right side of her head and oozed down the side of her face.

It was only until she looked around that she realized someone was staring at her. She felt the eyes upon her before she even looked and slowly, she turned her head to see none other than Tony Stark's face as he unshielded his helmet to reveal two sets of stunned eyes. He was half crouched, half kneeling upon the ground. His suit was littered with dust and debris and it was completely dented in the front, but his eyes never left hers.

There was that look of recognition, coupled by a tinge of relief at seeing her again.

A wry smile worked its way up her lips, "Hello, Tony." He furrowed his brows in confusion at hearing his name on her tongue, but somehow it was soothing. "You.." He stated in dumbfounded disbelief before their little reunion was cut short.

She could feel the evil before he even approached. Her skin was crawling and her radar was sending her nervous system into overdrive. "Watch-" Tony's voice rang out, but it was too late. Whatever had flown into her hit her full force, knocking her farther away from Tony and skidding across the field as her limbs tumbled over one another yet again.

The burly man that she had dubbed as the sidekick kept Tony busy; the floating woman was giving Captain America a run for his money with her undead army that she started to manifest from the ground. Steve gritted his teeth before shouting into his ear piece, "Natasha, Clint! Where are you?"

As he spoke the reinforcements he shouted for showed up, sending the dark haired villainess into a fit of laughter, "Stupid humans..you have no idea what you're up against. This is only the beginning."

Meanwhile, the Leader didn't give Lexi a chance to regain her posture after landing. He was already on her, but her fist flew out before he could lift her off the ground. She struck his jaw and he eyed her reproachfully, but with some level of respect she couldn't put her finger on.

"You're cute." His voice held a thick accent of some sort, but her ears were still coupled with a dull ringing from the beating her limbs had taken from fighting.

She struck out again, but he grabbed her wrist like a striking snake and then whipped her around so that her back was against his chest, "Little Angel..so sweet. But, you aren't strong enough to stop what is happening. You could join us.." His voice was harsh in her ear, but haunting all the same. It sent chills straight down to her toes and for a brief moment she felt that familiarity towards him, but as soon as it was there it was gone again.

Lexi knocked her head back, nailing him in the nose, but he was still quicker than her as he shoved her forward harsly. She spun around quickly, but he was already coming at her again. The man now grew large black wings from his back as his right hand shot out like a snake and gripped her throat.

He took her air born, flying higher into the sky, his hand squeezing her throat like an anaconda which was getting tighter by the second.

Lexi was strong, but she had never felt anything like this before. The power that radiated from these people was nothing she had ever encountered and as his hand continued to squeeze around her neck she saw the black wings that protruded from his back, beating the air carelessly as they drew higher and higher and higher in the sky.

He pulled her close and she saw his eyes alight with fire. Actual fire bounced around in his pupils and recognition dawned on her, followed by her mouth falling slack in shock.

Lexi had heard of this man from her father.

"His eyes were like fire. And they called him…."

Abbadon.

He smirked as if he could read her mind, watching as the realization took hold of her mind. "You know my name, little Angel. Say it." He crooned to her as his wings beat the air every few seconds so that they hovered listlessly.

"Abbadon." Lexi choked out as his hand tightened around her windpipe. She felt her bottom lip tremble as the full brunt of what she had said hit her. This was not something she could battle alone..she was now face to face with one of the deadliest demons from Hell. Some would say fallen angel, but Lexi thought otherwise.

"It has been a long time since I have seen a Halfling such as you." Abbadon spoke as if seeing her was a delight, despite fighting with her. Lexi squirmed, her grip upon his hand that gripped her neck faltering slightly as he called her a Halfling. "You see, you are like us. Cast aside, forgotten..but I could change that. I could show you your full potential." He spoke to her softly, with a pleading urgency that almost seemed sincere, but she knew otherwise.

Lexi sneered at the man as white wings flicked in annoyance, "Never." She spit this out to him and for a split second Abbadon looked taken aback, but then he smiled like a snake and the hand that held her throat sent tendrils of purple into her neck and they shot down her body. In a flash, her body was on fire, the pain that shot through her coursed through every nerve ending and it felt as if her body was being ripped in half.

The pain was so intense and blinding that she felt her focus falter, the black spots that danced in her vision clouded. Lexi swore her whole body was ripping apart. It was only then she felt his hand unravel from her neck and he let her fall to the ground below as she lost consciousness.

Down below, the woman and the burly side kick watched as Abbadon got their attention and in a burst of purple light the others grew dark black wings and in a flash they were gone. Natasha and Clint shared a disbelieving look as the undead army dissolved into mid-air at their departure.

It was then Steve turned to see a woman's body from falling from the sky closest to Tony.

"TONY!" Steve shouted, pointing up, but Tony had already seen her. Tony shot up, catching her lithe body effortlessly in his arms. "Get her back to the Tower!" Steve pressed his earpiece and Tony was shooting off into the sky, leaving the others behind to clean up the mess before heading back.

"Who was that?" Steve looked to the other two.

Clint arched a brow while catching his breath, "That, Captain, was the girl with wings."

Steve looked up to the sky, but Tony was already out of eye sight. He could only hope the girl could shed some light on what had just happened. Natasha eyed Steve before looking around aimlessly, "We're really out of our pay grade on this one." Steve smiled and Clint smirked before looking around with Natasha, "I have a feeling things are about to get a lot weirder."

Steve had a gut feeling Clint was right.


	8. Revelations

Lexi pushed herself farther up to get into a better sitting position as Tony entered the room, but her eyes never dared to wander from his own. He stared at her for a moment and in that millisecond she saw the briefest flicker of alarm and surprise. She didn't think Tony Stark was a man that got tongue tied often, if ever, but he was right now as he stared at her back.

His dark eyes moved to her wings that were out in full span for whomever to see when they walked in. That someone just so happened to be Tony. He was clad in a reddish colored jacket that zipped up in the front and beneath it looked to be a dark gray shirt, but she couldn't tell exactly since it was zipped up almost to the top. He wore a pair of dark pants that looked almost like blue, but were so dark they were almost black.

He smirked a very Tony like smirk, "You know, it's the funniest thing…" he started to talk and placed his hands behind his back while pacing the length of the room, getting closer to her bed and then turning deftly on his heel to start over again with his pace.

"Not too long ago I saw a woman right outside the walls of the Avengers tower with wings like yours. Come to think of it..she was a dead ringer for you."

His eyes snapped up to hers as he came to an abrupt halt at her bedside. He took in the cuts and bruises on her face that were already healing, "You always put yourself head first into danger like that?" His tone was not patronizing, but a little exasperated. Granted she had put herself between a purple beam and Iron Man..it was a little foolish, but Lexi acted on instinct to save him.

_Not the first time._

Lexi bit her bottom lip and looked down, like a child that had gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar. He seemed as confused as everyone else in the Avengers Tower and being confused wasn't something these guys liked to be.

She snuck a glance back up at Tony and offered a small guilty smile, "It was me. And by running head first into danger you mean saving your life? "

__

It also wasn't the first time we met.

He looked down at his hands briefly and there was an audible sigh he let out in relief. The muscles that had been coiled around his shoulders moments ago seemed to loosen with her revelation. He smirked at her last comment, "I had it under control, trust me." She rolled her eyes lightly at his stubbornness.

"You're not crazy, Tony. You did see me that night." She murmured quietly, offering him a quick smile. "Who ever said I was crazy?" Tony quipped back and she smirked before replying, "You don't read the papers do you?"

Tony waved his hand as if that was preposterous, "Of course not. I'm a billionaire genius, when do I have time to read the paper?" She cocked her head to the side and raised her brow incredulously at him. She didn't believe for one second that Tony Stark didn't look at the papers from time to time.

He's very prideful.

Lexi licked her bottom lip, biting it for a brief second as she collected her thoughts, but when she was about to speak again she saw Tony looking at her, trying to figure her out as he tilted his head to the side cockily, "Who are you exactly? And why are you following me?"

She barked out a laugh and he reared his head back, clearly taken aback that she was laughing, "Uhm, am I missing something here?" He asked not understanding why she was laughing.

Lexi put the back of her hand against her mouth and smirked, "You are very full of yourself Tony to think that I'm following you." He chewed on this sentiment before arching a brow, "It wouldn't be the first time I had a crazy stalker."

"I don't doubt it." Her eyes met his and she smiled sheepishly, "For starters, I'm sorry for dropping in the other night unannounced."

Tony raised a brow, "As you should be. Make a man go crazy.." He muttered more to himself than her and she laughed lightly, a hue or red ringing her cheeks as she admitted, "I doubt that." It was more towards his comment about making a man go crazy, but he must have heard her because he eyed her wearily, "I don't."

She felt the warmth spread from her cheeks and down to her neck. The awkward moment of silence in the room growing more deafening as the seconds past before she cleared her throat and continued, "I'm Lexi, Lexi Monroe."

She held out her hand quickly and locked eyes with him expectantly before watching with a relieved feeling as he crossed the distance that he had put between himself and her bed and reached over to shake her hand, "Tony Stark."

His hand was warm, rough and calloused from all the tinkering he did and she couldn't help but glance down at his left hand and see the bare ring finger. He noticed her eyes flicker down and he pulled his hand away as she did before smirking, "I like to keep my playboy status."

"I bet you do." She murmured with a hint of a smile before biting her lower lip in quiet thought.

"Look.." Lexi started to explain, she had every intention of explaining who she was, what she was and how she knew what exactly those demonic beings were. That was until the door flew open and in walked a dark skinned man with an eye patch and a tall, broad shouldered man with a shirt that was a size too small for his large biceps whom she immediately recognized as Steve Rogers.

"What the heck Stark?"

"What in fucks sake is going on here?"

Both voices yelled out as two SHIELD agents came close behind the men with their guns drawn. Lexi's eyes widened and she looked from Tony to the two men to the SHIELD agents with their guns and instinctively she flourished her wings in a way that made them appear bigger. She leaned up farther now, her hands bracing the railing of the bed as if she were going to fly over it at any moment.

Guns on her didn't sit well and guns on Tony stirred something else entirely in her belly that was akin to fierce protection. "Put the guns away, now!" Lexi's voice was calm, but eerily demanding and Tony's eyes widened while his brows shot up. He stood carelessly, not even tensing at the sight of guns being brandished.

"I certainly wouldn't mess with this one, Fury." Tony deadpanned and smirked widely as Fury gave a look of resigned anger, "Put your guns away." When the SHIELD agents complied Steve walked right up to Tony, "Just couldn't help yourself, huh?"

Tony flashed a smile and turned towards Lexi so that she could see them both from the angle they were speaking to one another. She could sense the tension between the two hot headed men and parted her lips to speak, but before she could get anything out Tony interjected, "Oh, you know I've never been a follow orders kind of guy."

Steve rolled his eyes and Fury stepped forward, "I wanna know what's going on here and fast. I said no one was to come in here and brief her, but me. Now, pray tell Tony, why you are going to such lengths to be a pain in my ass today?"

Tony caught Fury's angered gaze and Lexi felt as if she weren't even in the room, which was funny in itself since she was the one with the large white wings.

"I was just walking by and the door so happen to be open..." Tony quipped with a snarky expression while Steve crossed his arms, "Tony, cut the crap." Tony put his hand over his chest, "Ouch, language Cap!" Steve made a movement, but Fury held his hands out to the two men.

"He knows something, Fury! He's been acting weird about this whole situation. The way I see it you're the only one in the group that's acting suspicious. And this proves it."

Tony looked as if he was slapped in the face and he stepped up to Steve so their faces mere inches away from one another. Tony's jaw clenched and the playful ire Lexi had seen moments ago was completely gone, "You like to point fingers a lot, Rogers. You know that? For such a high and mighty tool you really-"

"Oh, please. This has nothing to do with me. You just love to change the subject, don't you?"

Lexi opened her mouth to speak, but her voice fell on deaf ears. Except for Fury. He glanced her way and she gave him an incredulous look and he returned her gaze with one that said volumes without speaking. She could tell he was exasperated, but the two men before her were so lost in their argument they hadn't even noticed Lexi's face changing from annoyance to anger.

No one had even asked for her opinion. No one had even tried to ask her what was happening. Two petulant men fighting like boys. She didn't even know them that well, but she could see the unresolved tension rolling off of them in waves. The two SHIELD agents had already crept out and disappeared under Fury's signal, which had been lost to the guys since they weren't even paying attention.

"Make this easier on everyone and just admit that you know something about-"

Lexi exploded in anger, "Oh, stop it! Stop it you two!" The two men turned around as if they realized she had still been in the room and her eyes glinted with an ire that had them stopping in their tracks from saying another word. Fury turned and she saw he almost looked relieved for the outburst.

"I pulled Tony from the wormhole at the battle of New York. He doesn't know me anymore than I know him. I caught a glimpse of him recently while I was flying..it was my fault. I came too close to the tower and he saw me."

Lexi had been moving her eyes from Tony, to Steve to the man with the eye patch as she spoke, never once letting her eyes linger too long on Tony's, but at the end she let her gaze rest on Tony's astonished one and she shrugged sheepishly, "I just-I guess I wanted to make sure you were okay."

There was a blush creeping on her cheeks and whether it was from the anger that had flushed her, or being on the spot with the truth she didn't know. As she looked up into the depths of Tony's eyes she saw amazement, wonder, shock and a mild look of disbelief. She saw the way his demeanor at the mention of the battle of New York and especially when she mentioned the wormhole.

Despite his cocky exterior, she could see the pain flash in his eyes before anyone in the room could register it. He hid it quite well.

"You did this for a total stranger?" Steve asked incredulously, his brows knitted together and wave of respect forming from his demeanor. He shifted away from Tony and took a step towards and Lexi as she shrugged lightly, "It felt like the right thing to do...righteous Angel and all." She smiled wryly and flicked her wings for emphasis.

"Wait-back up, I'm sorry am I missing something? You claim you pulled me from the wormhole, but no one saw you that day." Tony interjected. He wasn't necessarily unconvinced, but he was trying to use logic and reason to rationalize something so bizarre.

"You're an Angel?" Steve asked right after Tony's question and Lexi looked between the two men, clearly feeling overwhelmed and Fury stepped forward, "From here on out, I'm asking all the questions. She'll be briefed by me. If you two can't keep your mouths shut then I suggest you walk out right now."

Tony and Steve shifted uncomfortably and she saw Tony's jaw twitch in irritation before he promptly walked across the room and leaned against the wall while Steve walked to an adjacent wall. Fury pulled up a chair and cocked his head to the side, "Name's Nick Fury. Director of SHIELD. Heard of me?" Lexi shook her head no and Fury shrugged, "No matter. Let's get on with it."

He saw her shift uncomfortably and he asked testily, "Is now not a good time?" Lexi shook her head, "No, no-I mean, it's fine. Let's get it over with." Fury nodded and started his barrage of questions.

They ranged from her name to where she was from and then came the big one, "What are you, Ms. Monroe?" Steve and Tony looked up at her on this question, their gazes burning her with their intensity. "I'm a Halfling. I'm half Angel and half human. I'm no mutant or crazy science experiment gone wrong. I'm an Angel. We exist. As do demons."

Fury looked slightly unconvinced, but he couldn't deny the large spread of white wings flowing behind her, "Alright, Ms. Monroe. For shits and giggles, you're half Angel. As you can tell I'm a straight to the point kind of guy..what do you know about the demonic creatures my team fought the other day? How are you involved in all this?"

Lexi felt a cold chill run over body and she glanced up at Tony for a moment, recalling the moment she placed herself between the demonic entity and Tony. "I know about as much as you do, honestly." Fury gave her a look and she relented "I've been having dreams lately. At first I didn't think they were anything in particular, but then I realized I was seeing things before they were happening. I could see the people in the robes; I could feel the darkness as if it were a physical thing."

They all stared at her as she clenched her eyes closed, as if she remembered the pain she felt from the dreams. And she did. When she opened them Fury was staring at her with a half concerned look and she swallowed thickly.

"They got more intense until finally I was able to see something in my dream. I did some research and found out where I needed to investigate and that led me to being there at the same time that day. It was purely coincidence."

"Or fate."

Steve's lithe voice made her snap to him and despite Fury's orders to remain quiet she found his words ironic. And a part of his words hit her soul..fate. It was a funny thing, but was this truly one of those moments?

"Or fate." She repeated in agreement while Tony stared at her with unreadable eyes. Something about her seemed to have shaken Tony and she didn't know if it was her or maybe the talk about the battle of New York that had him a little cagey.

Fury leaned close and eyed her wearily with his only good eye. She briefly wondered where he had gotten such an innury and how, "Can you give me anything on what is going on here? Anything at all? Because right now I got three people at large that reportedly sprouted black wings. You see how this looks?"

Lexi chewed on her lip again, a nervous habit she had gotten from her mom, before looking at Fury with a tinge of fear in her own eyes, "They call him Abbadon."

The room was so silent you could hear a sewing needle drop. And she could tell that the mere mention of the name had everyone on edge.

"Forget what you've heard or read about Angels and Demons being folklore. It's all very, very real. I assure you. And you all just met one of the most dangerous demons to walk the Earth."

Tony groaned, "Perfect. This day just keeps getting better."

Fury mulled this over before countering, "Okay, so he's a demonic asshole. But, what does he want?"

Lexi shrugged, "Honestly, I have no idea. But, whatever those people in the robes did manifested them. They were given bodies to be hosts in. They are here and they are real. And it'll only take them a day or two to really come into all their dark powers." The room was thick with tension, but Lexi continued noting that her voice turned into somewhat of a plea, "I don't know why I've ended up here, but I do know I can help."

"She's got a point, Fury." Stark deadpanned and Fury whipped around to eye him sternly, "If I wanted your opinion I'd have asked for it." He turned to look back at Lexi, "And what about you? You say everything is real..why aren't you floating around with the other Angels? And better yet, why the hell aren't they down here taking care of the problem?"

This hit a nerve and she flushed a deep red from mild embarrassment, "I've told you I was a Halfling, but I haven't explained what that means. My mother was human and my father, Peter, he was an Angel. Unfortunately, Halflings don't serve any purpose to the Angels or the Council."

"You have a Council?" Fury asked curiously and this time his tone didn't sound unbelieving. She nodded silently before continuing, "Halflings aren't meant to be Guardians, go on missions or anything that a normal Angel would. Sadly, we have no purpose. We're kind of cast aside so long as we don't cause trouble. There aren't many Halflings..some have been known to go mad at not having a purpose. And I have no idea why the Angels aren't doing anything. They have been extremely quiet, no signs or anything from them."

She caught Steve's gaze; it was empathetic and sad for her plight and how she had no purpose. She shrugged lightly under everyone's scrutiny until Tony quipped, "So, basically you're the red headed step child of your kind?" A light, airy laugh left her lips and Fury didn't chastise Tony from speaking this time. "Basically, yes."

Tony made a pfft noise and shrugged, "Being normal is overrated anyways." She felt her lips upturn into a genuine smile at his attempts to make her situation not sound so profoundly sad. Fury continued, "Okay, back up now to the battle of New York. You seem to have been involved in quite a few things haven't you, Ms. Monroe? Still coincidence?" Lexi felt put on the spot and swallowed thickly under his scrutiny.

"I was minding my own business that day when all hell broke loose. I acted on instinct and before I knew it I was flying up, farther and farther..I saw him. I saw the red and gold shining so bright and I saw him floating closer and closer to the wormhole. I'd never flown so close to something like that and I didn't have my armor on." She stopped abruptly and realized how foolish it had been to attempt a feat like that without her lifesaving armor.

"I was able to grab him. I had him, but I lost my hold on him-I-I-blacked out.." Lexi could feel herself hyperventilating at the mere thought of what had happened..the panic and utter failure she felt. She briefly met Tony's eyes, but they were a mask of emotions and she couldn't put her finger on what he was thinking or feeling. His intensity held her captive for a second.

"And then I fell..I fell and woke up in a heap in some scaffolding from part of a building. I thought I was dead for a moment because I flew up without my armor on. I thought I needed that to protect me, but clearly I'm still alive even without my armor."

They all stared incredulously at her, but Fury stared with a mixture of realization at all that she had said. He could tell by her demeanor alone she wasn't lying, but that was something Fury had picked up on doing what he did for so long. The girl wasn't lying, if anything she had saved Tony Stark's life that day.

"You can heal easily, then." Fury noted while looking over her in a way that was no way uncomfortable, but merely curious. "Clearly." She noted shortly before adding, "I was taught I needed my armor, but I think my father just wanted that for extra protection. I was never told that my body was damn near unbreakable."

"You didn't know Tony before the New York incident though?" Steve asked and Lexi shook her head, "No, like I said, I just acted on instinct." Tony chewed on the inside of his cheek, mulling this over, "Well, excuse me for not having an input, but I don't remember much…seeing as I was almost floating into a wormhole."

Lexi gave him a look and Steve rolled his eyes, but even Steve could tell Tony was still reeling from his anxiety that the battle had given him. There was a moment of silence before Tony broke it, "I was right. You definitely jump into danger without thinking, don't you?"

"Remind you of anyone?" Steve interjected and Tony gave him an eye roll of his own knowing he couldn't say anything. Tony and her were alike in that sense…act now and ask questions later. Lexi couldn't help but smirk listening to the two and their playful banter. It was better than when they were angry at one another.

Fury sighed heavily and stood up from his seat, "Alright, you have any family here, Ms. Monroe?" Lexi started to shake her head yes, but decided against it. Her mother was family, but she was safe and sound in her nursing home. She wouldn't involve her.

"You have a place here in the city?" Fury asked, but for some reason she had a feeling he already knew certain things about her from pulling records. She nodded and Fury looked back to Steve and Tony, "I'll have you accompany her to gather her things." Lexi straightened up on the bed further and shoved her fists into the mattress to lift herself up, "My things?"

Fury started to walk away, but turned around quickly on his heels, "Yes, your things, Ms. Monroe." He paused and realized she hadn't caught up to where his mind was going, "The way I see it your know more about this than any of us here put together. We might just need your assistance, Ms. Monroe."

Lexi furrowed her brows, taking in everything he was saying and realizing it was all happening extremely fast, "But, why do I need to come here?" Her anxiety heightened briefly before seeing the calm and measured look Fury sent her.

"It'll be easier this way." His voice held a firm tone to it, but he quickly followed up after a moment, "I'd like to hear more about your family and your abilities, Ms. Monroe." She nodded silently as Fury started to walk out the door leaving her with Steve and Tony and their own looks of surprise equaled her own.

"What do you think?" Tony asked Steve as his eyebrow perked up in interest to hear what he might have to say. "I say she's all we got right now, like Fury said." Steve responded before looking over at Lexi and walking up to her, all the while holding out his hand, "Steve Rogers." She took his warm hand in her own and shook it, slightly in a daze from what had just transpired before murmuring her name quietly.

Tony flashed a small smile and held out his phone, "I'll have Happy pull a car around for us. I call shotgun!" He let his eyes linger on Lexi for a moment longer than they should have, "Welcome aboard, Ms. Monroe."

Tony then left out the door he had come in, and just as quickly too. However, from his gaze she had a feeling their conversation about everything was far from over.

"I'm sorry, for all of this." Lexi mumbled sheepishly before picking a stray thread from the blanket that covered her. Steve looked a little lost and he knitted his eyebrows together, "For what?" She shrugged and looked around, "My people's problems have now become Earth's problems."

Steve gave her a half amused smile and shook his head as if there wasn't anything any of them could really do about it. "Well, for what it's worth I'm glad the right side got to you first. I have a feeling we'll need your help." Lexi looked up to see Steve giving her a warm smile and she returned it happily.

"I'll send Natasha up to bring you a change of clothes." Steve started to walk towards the door and Lexi furrowed her brows, "The red haired woman?" He nodded to her question and then slipped out the door, leaving her to relax for a few moments by herself and collect her thoughts.

_Maybe fate has something in store for me yet..._


End file.
